Celebrating Fenway Park

Utter the words "America’s most beloved ballpark" and any New Englander worth his or her salt knows you’re talking about Fenway Park in Boston.

Kathleen Szmit

Local author plays part in commemorative book

Utter the words “America’s most beloved ballpark” and any New Englander worth his or her salt knows you’re talking about Fenway Park in Boston.

Home of the Boston Red Sox, the park turns 100 years old this year, and is the subject of myriad celebrations, including a new collectible book, Fenway Park, a Boston Globe work written by John Powers and Ron Driscoll.

Driscoll, a former Globe and Cape Cod Times copy editor who resides in Marstons Mills, deemed the 276-page book a labor of love.

“When I was a little kid my older brother, Tom, and I would go to the ballpark,” Driscoll said. “It was the 1960s and the Red Sox used to regularly schedule doubleheaders.”

Driscoll said he and Tom would peruse the schedule, circle a couple of doubleheaders to attend, and then stay at the ballpark for the day.

“We would just savor the entire experience, from the games themselves, to watching them prepare the entire field, watching batting practice,” Driscoll recalled. “That whole scenario of preparing for the game.”

No one facet of the park was more beloved than another for Driscoll and his brother. Instead, they adored the entire venue.

“The aura of the field; the new bases – pristine white bases for every game,” Driscoll mused. “We would do this every year when we were little kids. Fenway was the ballpark itself and everything around it we just drank in.”

With the 100th anniversary of the ballpark approaching, Driscoll was tapped to assist in the creation of a book that would recount its history from when it was built in 1912. The tome is similar to those The Boston Globe produced in celebration of the successes of Boston sports teams including the Sox, the Celtics, the Patriots and the Bruins.

“There was never much doubt that the Globe was going to do a book on the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park,” Driscoll said. There is a long relationship between the Globe and Fenway Park.”

Driscoll noted that the Taylor family, specifically John I. Taylor who owned the Globe, also owned the Red Sox and built Fenway Park.

Driscoll possessed a powerful affection for Fenway, recalling the days when balls had to be retrieved from the left field net in a time before the legendary Green Monster existed as fans know it today.

While Powers, a renowned name in Globe sports, wrote the main text, Driscoll was charged with digging up interesting nuggets of history for the volume’s sidebars.

Like the proverbial kid in a candy store, Driscoll spent countless hours poring over past Globe features on the park detailing its rich history from Game 1 to the 2011 resignation of manager Terry Francona.

“The Globe newspaper covered the team throughout its history,” Driscoll said. “That was invaluable. We had resources and coverage and photos that no one else had. The Globe has a really extensive background.”

Between Powers’ play-by-play, Driscoll’s factoids and a treasure trove of remarkable photographs, Fenway Park is a marvelous compendium to be cherished by all fans of Fenway.

Nothing is overlooked, from the bad, the good, the heartbreaking and the joyous. There are stories and images of Boston Red Sox legends Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, and behind-the-scenes looks at the unique characters of Fenway Park, including Isabelle Stewart Gardner, the eccentric socialite wife of Jack Stewart; Harry Frazee, “the man behind the curse”; and Lib Dooley, the ultimate fan.

“We provided a decade-by-decade look at Fenway Park,” Driscoll said. “It was much easier to find what not to use than what to use. There was a lot of information at our disposal.”

While people may visit the park to see the Red Sox play, or take in a concert, or even enjoy a picnic in the park, Driscoll feels that most people visit simply to be at Fenway Park.

“People come to Fenway Park just to be at the ballpark,” he said. “When you go to Fenway Park it almost overshadows the game itself.”

That the park was and once again is used for non-baseball events is a special trait of the venue, said Driscoll.

“I think that the thing we particularly found in writing and researching is that people would be surprised to know how much has gone on there that wasn’t Red Sox related,” said Driscoll. “For instance, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s final campaign speech of his life was delivered at the park.”

Roosevelt gave the speech Nov. 4, 1944, three days before the presidential election that year. It was the last campaign speech he ever gave, as Roosevelt died in April 1945, months after being elected to a fourth term.

In the sports realm, Driscoll noted that two pro football teams that played there, the Boston Redskins (now the Washington Redskins) and the Boston Yanks (now the Colts).

Driscoll said that for many years Fenway Park was something of a community gathering place. After a period of time where that didn’t happen, Driscoll is pleased that Fenway seems to be returning to that era.

“It went back to those original ways,” he said. “Now there are concerts, naturalization ceremonies there, all kinds of other fundraising events. It’s become a lot more of a civic gathering place. It’s come full circle.”

Driscoll, who currently works as manager of editorial services for the US Golf Association, is excited about the book and about the 100th anniversary of America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

“It’s such a part of Boston history,” he said. “The history of the place is really obvious even if you’re not a baseball or a Red Sox fan. You can feel it. It’s almost like a tangible emotion when you get there. You know that this park has seen an incredible amount of history.”